The Huntress
by qt3.14159
Summary: A Miracentric semisequel to my story Pazaak: Juma rules. Mira begins the search for two missing Jedi and the Mandalorian bounty hunter responsible for their disappearance. Post KOTOR 2 LSF Exile. Chapter 5 up. Complete!
1. The Hunter

A/N: This is a semi-sequel to my story Pazaak: Juma Rules. I wanted to start telling the story of how Vashti (The Exile) and her crew began to find and recruit force sensitives and open the academy on Telos, etc. But after about ten pages of writing, I realized that it was utter crap. So I quit for a while and started brainstorming for a lot of ideas to make "episodes" about. I had planned on doing them in chronological order, but after a week or two of writer's block, I finally gave into my desire to tell this story. If I manage not to make a complete arse out of myself with this one, I might go back and tell some of theother stories that are now rattling around in my brain.

Be Warned! This is my first foray into actual plots and characters not defined in the game. I do not vouch for it being interesting or of any quality at all. I did, however, enjoy writing it.

* * *

She walked the streets of the smuggler's moon, meandering through the throngs of people seemingly without direction. Occasionally she would stop and appear to listen to something, ignoring the persistent gazes of the sentients around her. Then she would walk again, being drawn further into the maze of the city's streets. She wore her favorite black pants and jacket. Her green tunic was tied to show off her midriff and cleavage and her black headband kept her fiery red hair from falling into her vibrant green eyes. The outfit served its purpose well. Those gawking at her rarely noticed the veritable arsenal she carried with her. Besides the rocket launcher she always kept on her arm she wore a twin set of blasters, one on each hip. Next to each pistol there was a long black cylinder that was well camouflaged against her black pants and almost invisible to most passersby. Along the back of her belt she wore an assortment of grenades, rockets and darts. In addition, she kept a small vibroblade tucked into the side of her left boot. 

She paused on a corner, letting the large bag she had slung over her shoulder drop to the pavement. She knelt over it a moment, shuffling through its contents and pulled out a datapad thumbing through it for what had to have been the hundredth time. She studied the holo of her target again and the details she'd been able to gather about him. He was Drex, a Mandalorian of clan Meerel, a bounty hunter. Though he was not prone to wearing their armor, there were few that could mistake him for anything but one of that hawkish race, even if they hadn't noticed his clan tattoos. His skin was greyer than that of her friend and former crewmate and he was considerably younger as well. Her sources had said that he was the reason two of their new recruits had gone missing.

Lorli Gann and Jafort'or had both finished their initial training at the Jedi Academy on Telos. Lorli was a human female a little older than Mira and Jafort'or was a male orange skinned twi'lek who had been a veteran of the Mandalorian wars. Their mission had been to scout Nar Shaddaa for more force sensitives. It had been surprising just how many recruits they'd managed to find on the moon and it had become a favorite place for Vashti to send her fledgling Jedi on their first missions. The city could be dangerous, but the thugs the city bred were no match for a Jedi - even baby padawan Jedi with less than three standard months of training like the ones that had disappeared here. Or at least that was true if you kept your nose out of Exchange business and made sure you didn't anger someone you shouldn't have. But in all, Nar Shaddaa had been pretty safe for Jedi ever since Goto's yacht had been blown to pieces and there wasn't anyone to honor the bounty on the Jedi.

Mira herself had only been a Jedi for close to a standard year and it had been only six months since they had begun their hunt for force sensitives and opened the academy on Telos. It was hard for her to believe that less than a year ago she hadn't felt the force at all. Except that wasn't exactly true. She realized now that she had always used the force to hunt her targets especially here on Nar Shaddaa. Her quarries had unwittingly called to her through the energy of the moon and she had usually found them with surprising ease. And that was why Vashti had sent her here.

She pulled a comlink out of her knapsack and spoke into it quietly, reporting that she was getting close to her target. The young man who received the call and was waiting for her at the _Ebon Hawk_ had been very reluctant to let her go out by herself, but she had eventually convinced him that she would hunt more effectively on her own. Once he relented, though, he had begun to sulk. He had pulled the hood of his robe up over his head as he sunk into the pilot's chair. Mira had sighed exasperatedly, glad for the chance to get away. She really liked Dustil, but lately he had begun treating her differently. He'd been seriously possessive and over protective. It was driving her nuts.

She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way back into the crowd. He was close, she could feel it. Her senses heightened and she stretched out with the force as she stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the beings around her. Suddenly she saw him. He stood taller than most of the beings around him by at least 20 centimeters and was much closer to her than she had thought he would be. She fleetingly wondered how she could have missed him as she felt something sharp imbed itself into her abdomen. She glanced down at her bare stomach and recognized the butt of a dart protruding from it. _Sith spit_ she thought as she called on the Force to rid herself of the toxins. But it was too late. Her mind blurred and as she tried to reach for her saber she felt his arms close around her waist. She had the vague impression of being hoisted off the ground and thrown over the large man's shoulder like a rag doll. The last thing that ran through her mind before she lost consciousness was that he had a very nice ass.

* * *

Her head was throbbing. She wasn't sure where the rest of her body was, but her head was definitely here. That was a good sign. She suddenly became aware of a very sharp pain in her left shoulder and numbness in the arm that was pinned beneath her. Her cheek pressed against the cold floor and she stretched her right leg to try to shift her weight off her upper body. Suddenly a searing pain shot down her leg waking her completely. Instantly she jumped to her feet only missing the energy field that surrounded her by pure luck. A force cage. Oh, joy. 

She slumped back down to the floor, pressing her back against the solid part of her cell as she took in her surroundings. As she placed her hands on each side of her pounding head she realized that she appeared to be on a ship of some kind. She strained to hear the engines to determine if they were in space, but was only greeted by the hum of the force cage.

Out of habit, she began to reach into her jacket to pull her pazaak deck out to help her think and it was only then that she realized that she wasn't wearing it. Her boots and belt were gone as well. She glanced around the room and noticed a small table in the corner where her things had been unceremoniously dumped. _Force, _She thought to herself, _Dustil's not gonna like this. _

After some time, the silence was finally disturbed by footsteps in the corridor just outside the room. The door opened and the Mandalorian man she had been hunting entered carrying a packet of rations and a small canteen. He glanced at her coolly as he pressed a few buttons on the nearby control panel and then slid the provisions through the small hole that had opened at the bottom of the force cage. She stared at the rations a moment, not really conscious enough to feel hungry or thirsty and without comment he turned to leave the room.

"That's it?" She asked him sharply, her voice cutting the silence.

He turned back towards her and glanced at her amusedly, "You were expecting dinner and a holovid?" His deep voice drawled.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I was expecting you to tell me why the hell you've brought me here!" she said loudly.

"Shouldn't you just be glad you're alive?" He smirked as he turned and left the room.

"Can't I at least have my fracking pazaak deck?" she yelled after him as his footsteps got softer and softer.

Ugh. She strummed her fingers against her knee as she shifted her weight and tried to think. She was still alive. That was the good news. She hoped that meant that Lorli and Jaf were still alive as well. She began to wonder how she had not seen the dart coming. And furthermore, what was in that dart that it caused her to pass out so quickly? It wasn't anything she carried with her, but damn, she was going to have to get some… if she ever got out of here.

The boredom was killing her. It had been hours since she had awakened and she had already examined all the possible escape routes. The prospects were pretty dim. She figured she should probably be meditating or doing something more Jedi-like, but the drug that had made her pass out was still making it very hard to concentrate on anything. She restlessly rolled over onto her back placing her hands behind her head and her legs perpendicular to her body resting them against the solid part of the cage.

She began singing then - softly to herself at first, just to pass the time, but as she sang, her voice got louder and the songs became bawdier. She rather liked the way her voice echoed in here and trying to remember all the verses to Corellian drinking songs was pretty amusing. It was in the middle of a particularly tawdry verse that she happened to tilt her head back and see her captor eyeing her with mild annoyance.

She ignored him and kept singing making sure to stress each of the most vulgar words. She almost jumped in surprise when his deep booming voice joined her to finish the verse. She frowned, still lying on the floor, her legs against the wall. Her arms were now crossed over her chest as she tilted her head back again and glared at him through the energy field.

"Don't stop on my account," he said, "You were just getting to my favorite verse."

She swung her legs around quickly, pivoting on her rear end so that her back was now against the wall. She pulled her legs up to her chest and considered him for a moment. The holo she'd had of him on her datapad didn't do him justice, she realized. There was no way a picture could capture the intensity of his grey eyes and he had those classic Mandalorian features that she had admired even as a child. Her eyes traveled down his body, taking in the clan tattoos on his forearms as well as his very nicely muscled chest.

He raised an eyebrow at her, seemingly amused at the obvious once over she had given him. "Are you sure you're a Jedi?" He asked her with a smirk.

Her gaze narrowed again for a moment, but realizing he was the only way out of this damned cage, she let her features soften again and she shrugged. "That's an awfully philosophical question for a Mandalorian," she sassed.

He just grunted as he sat himself at the table in the corner. She watched him with alarm as he began rifling through her things. He pulled out her blasters first examining them closely. "These are some pricey upgrades you've got here," he commented casually.

"Thanks," she said as she tried to unclench her jaw, "I did them myself." She added absentmindedly. He regarded her again a moment and then picked up one of the black cylinders lying on the table. "Don't touch that!" She warned, jumping to her feet.

"It's not like I've never seen a lightsaber before, miss." He said as he lazily ignited the blade. "I've never seen one this color, however."

"It's viridian…" she said anxiously, "please, turn it off…"

"Worried about me, miss? That's very sweet of you." He said provokingly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I would really rather you didn't kill yourself and leave me locked in this damned cage. If you want to be stupid and play with lightsabers, that's fine, just LET ME OUT FIRST!" she snapped at him.

He chuckled as he extinguished the blade and picked up her rocket launcher. "This is a nice little piece of equipment, too. Good thing you didn't see me first, eh?" She grimaced remembering the sting of the dart that'd hit her.

He picked up her datapad next and began thumbing through it. She was suddenly very glad the most personal things on it were encrypted. "There's quite a bit about me in here," he remarked, "you even have a picture of me." He looked up at her and smirked. "Guess I wasn't as easy a target as you thought, eh?"

"Well," she said casually, "I guess that's a matter of perspective… I did find you and I'm still alive… as you so kindly pointed out earlier."

He grinned as he pulled the comlink out of her bag and activated it. "Hello?" he said into it questioningly.

"Who are you?" A tinny voice screeched through the static of the com, "Where's Mira?"

Drex grinned again, "Mira's here with me. Aren't you doll?" he replied into the com as he stood and strode towards Mira's force cage.

"Dustil," Mira said quickly, "I'm here, I'm all right… I don't know where here is though…"

The large man shot her a look and she stopped talking. He spoke into the com again, "Just tell your boss that Goto wants to see her. She needs to come to Nar Shaddaa and then we'll give her more instructions."

Dustil stammered over the com, "It will take her a few days to get here, will you guarantee Mira's safety until then?" The desperation in his voice was fairly obvious and Drex raised his eyebrow at Mira. She looked away quickly, and managed to fight off the blush that threatened.

"Hrrrmmm," he said over the com with a playful gleam in his eye, "That's not much fun. If I promise to keep her alive, can I kill the other two?" Mira clapped her hand over her mouth in horror at the man's amused taunt.

The com crackled and popped but no voice came through. Finally Dustil spoke again, his composure much regained. "I will get Vashti here as quickly as possible. Please, don't kill anyone."

"I make no promises," Drex snarled through the comlink as he switched it off and threw it back over onto the table.

"So Lorli and Jaf are still alive then?" Mira questioned him quietly.

"Mmm," he mumbled noncommittally, as he sauntered back over to the table and began going through her jacket. She clenched her teeth as he pulled out her holocamera and her miniature holoprojector. He pressed a button on the projector and a half sized image sprang to life over it. He watched the vid curiously, as it cycled through images of men and women on a small ship practicing with lightsabers, playing pazaak or just generally cutting up. Most of the scenes were punctuated with laughter. He started visibly when Mandalore, or at least someone wearing Mandalorian armor and Mandalore's helmet, appeared in the middle of this rowdy crew of Jedi. He shot Mira a look.

"Mandalore?" He questioned.

She nodded, "Yeah, that's why he wears the helmet," she replied patronizingly. "I asked him once if I could wear it, but he didn't go for it."

He shot her a quizzical look, "What clan?"

"Ordo," she replied, "and he'll never let you forget it, either."

"Is that your clan as well?" He questioned her coolly.

She started a moment. "I'm not Mandalorian," she stated firmly.

He looked at her skeptically. "Your weapons say otherwise." He remarked without emotion.

She frowned and slid back down the wall of her cage. "I was adopted by the Fett clan during the war and ran munitions for them."

He nodded simply and turned his attention back to the vid. He watched in amusement as what appeared to be a security camera feed flickered in front of him. A male and a female Jedi were dueling with sabers, but their battle seemed to exude a raw energy which culminated in a passionate kiss. He chuckled, "Are you sure _any_ of you are really Jedi?" He asked her, an amused smile playing across his lips.

"There you go getting philosophical on me again," she said dryly.

"I thought the Jedi weren't supposed to do things like that."

She shrugged, "We're not exactly typical Jedi."

"Apparently," He said as he nodded again and turned the projector off, tossing it back onto the table. Mira stifled her sigh of relief that he'd gotten bored of it before he'd gotten to the parts with Dustil. She really wasn't in the mood to have to explain that.

He picked up a boot and pulled the vibroblade out of it. He admired its blade and flicked a similar glance at its owner. She noticed his gaze and decided she should take advantage of the situation. She grinned at him, twisting onto her stomach keeping her knees bent - her feet kicking over her back. She rested her head on one fist and used the other arm strategically to enhance her cleavage. "I don't suppose there's any way I could convince you to let me out of here?" she purred, her words laced with the power of force persuasion.

He chuckled. "Not yet, miss," he said as he shuffled over to her. He crouched in front of her, bringing his face very close to hers. "But if your boss shows up and Goto's satisfied, I might just take you up on that offer," he said with a smirk.

Her expression soured and she pushed herself back into a sitting position again. Damned hard headed Mandalorians. "Aw, come on," she groused, "I'm tired and there's no way I can sleep in here!"

"Mmm" he mumbled again as he activated the small opening in the energy shield and slid her pazaak deck into the cell. "Goodnight, miss." He said with a smirk as he left the room.

* * *

Dustil was beside himself. He knew he shouldn't have let her go out there alone. He berated himself as he went to the communications panel in the security room and began the call to Telos. 

An image of Vashti appeared suddenly, she was blinking sleepily as Atton shot the camera an annoyed look from behind her. "Dustil," she began calmly, "What is it?"

"Mira's been captured by that Mandalorian we were tracking in relation to the disappearances," Dustil blurted out anxiously, "He says Goto wants you to come to Nar Shaddaa and meet with him."

Vashti sighed heavily, "Do you know if Mira's all right? What about Lorli and Jaf?"

Dustil nodded, "The Mandalorian contacted me using her comlink. She said she was all right but that she didn't know where she was. He also suggested that the other two were alive as well, but I can't be sure of that."

Vashti nodded and spoke firmly, "OK, knowing Goto she's probably safe at least until I get there. Don't go sticking your nose into things, if he captured Mira he could capture you and we don't need to give him another hostage."

Dustil stammered and began to protest but she cut him off. "Dustil, I know you want to go run in there and save her, but the best way to get everyone out of this alive is for me to talk to Goto and try to give him what he wants."

The young man nodded reluctantly, "hurry then, please."

Vashti nodded, "we're on our way. See you in a couple of days." She turned the panel off and sighed again.

"You're not really going to talk to that lunatic again are you?" Atton questioned her with annoyance.

"Why not? You and Bao did a great job of breaking me out last time." She smiled persuasively at him. "Besides, what choice do we have? I expected to hear from him sooner or later."

Atton grumbled to himself a moment, "Well, let's get going then." He stood and began pulling his clothes on, "are we taking anyone with us?"

"Yeah, I'm sure we should, who would you suggest?"

"Brianna's got one hell of a punch," he commented as he finished fastening his belt and began dragging the footlocker out of the closet that they kept packed with their traveling arsenal.

"And the fact that she practices in her underwear doesn't mean a thing to you, eh?"

He grinned rakishly, "It's some pretty nice scenery you have to admit." She shot him a scathing look and he just grinned back at her. "Hey, I don't see you complaining when she gets Bao to strip down! I've caught you watching those matches quite a few times!"

Vashti chuckled slightly embarrassed. "No comment." She grinned at him.

"Hmph," he grumbled, "so who to take?"

"I'd like to take Bao, since he's dealt with Goto before…" Atton nodded, "And how about Juhani? Bastila can probably take her classes until we get back." He nodded again.

"I'm going to go prep the _Shadow Runner_ for take off." He informed her dragging the heavy footlocker onto a repulsorlift dolly. "If you need anything besides what's in here…" he paused a moment and grinned at her again, "get Bao to carry it." She rolled her eyes at him and went to wake her companions.


	2. Unexpected Friends

**Unexpected Friends**

Mira sat cross-legged on the floor of her cell, her mind finally clear enough to meditate. She reached into the force to help her body regenerate and to sense her surroundings. The ship she was on was still on Nar Shaddaa, she discerned. She could feel the energy of the moon radiating just outside the confines of the vessel. The ship itself seemed to be deserted. She could detect no other life forms on it and she fleetingly wondered where her captor had gone off to. She then wondered what Dustil was doing and if he was going as mad as she was with the waiting.

Dustil and she had been close, ever since he'd arrived at the academy just a few weeks after the destruction of Malachor. He had been in training with the Jedi Masters before The Scattering, and his father had informed him of Vashti's plan to build a Jedi army. He was the first of many recruits to arrive at the Academy. Many of those who came in the first few months were already Jedi on some level. Some were Masters or Knights, but most had been padawans when they were forced into hiding. They had also recruited a great many force sensitives with no training in the force, but that had extensive training in other areas.

It made quite a few of the Masters nervous that Vashti was training so many older recruits to use the force, but she insisted that they needed to raise a force wielding army as quickly as possible if they were going to join Revan. And so the usual younglings and fifteen years of training weren't going to do it.

Those that had not already been Jedi were given a choice. They could be taught to wield the force to enhance their existing combat skills or they could choose to undergo full Jedi training learning to use sabers and exploring the full power of the force. The first kind spent most of their training learning battle precognition and using the force to augment speed and reflexes. They were also taught how to use the force to heal wounds and how to strengthen their willpower to resist mental attacks. These men and womenstuck tothe weapons they'd used their whole life and were fast becoming a very lethal force.

Those that had chosen to pursue full Jedi training had a much harder road ahead of them. Learning the lightsaber after using other weapons was a dangerous and difficult task. But once they were trained, they would be significantly more powerful than the other group, especially in one on one combat. Both groups were fundamentally necessary for the war that was going to be waged.

When Dustil had arrived, Vashti had put him through his paces. It hadn't taken her long to ferret out his story about being at the Sith Academy on Korriban and his brief training with the Masters on Coruscant. She was quite impressed with his saber skills and had quickly given him the mission of rounding up as many of his former classmates as possible. She had paired him with Mira so that he could take advantage of her innate ability to find people through the force.

The two had taken the _Ebon Hawk_ and had spent the next several months scouting the galaxy together. They had become fast friends and they really enjoyed each other's company, but after they had returned to the Academy things had become a little uncomfortable. Mira had begun spending her time with her other friends whom she had missed over the months and Dustil had begun to feel left out. When they had been sent out together again to find Lorli and Jaf, he had obviously been eager to have her to himself again.

She didn't know how to handle this situation. Normally, she would have just been blunt and honest, informing him that she wasn't interested, but she didn't know for sure that it was true in this case. He was all the things she really liked in a man. He was smart, really cute, surprisingly mature for his age and a good friend. She couldn't deny there was an attraction between them either. So why was she so uncomfortable with his affections?

"Sleep well, miss?" The deep voice cut through her meditation and she jumped to her feet, startled by the Mandalorian's sudden presence.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "How did you do that?"

He regarded her with a smirk, "Do what, miss?"

She reached out with the force again and attempted to sense his presence. This time the same energy that had called to her on her hunt affronted her, but then suddenly it was gone again.

She opened her eyes again and glared at him, "That's a neat little trick," she said suspiciously.

His smirk grew to a grin, "I have no idea what you're talking about, miss." He said as he pushed more rations through the hole in the energy field.

"Riiight," she scoffed, "you have any other tricks like that?" she questioned him.

"Like what?" he persisted.

"Oh, come on," she groused. "You know damned well what I'm talking about. One minute you're there, the next you're not. Is it some kind of device or something?"

He ignored the question and began to leave the room. "Wait!" She called out to him desperately. "Come back and talk to me… I'm going mad in here!"

He stopped near the door, turned and met her gaze, the corners of his mouth twitched, amused by her desperation. "Talk to you about what, miss?" He drawled as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

"Anything! Just… talk… please…" she paused a moment, "Did you fight in the Mandalorian wars?" she grasped at a topic. He nodded but didn't elaborate. "So how old does that make you?" she added quickly.

"Twenty-nine standard years," he said casually.

"Oh, wow, so you were eighteen at the end of the war?" She asked.

"The Jedi can add," he taunted.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Actually that was subtraction… but I can do both. They come in handy when you're playing pazaak." She said dryly, "Do you play?"

"Don't all bounty hunters play pazaak?" he asked coolly.

"Hrm, good point." She waved her deck at him briefly. "Care to play a few hands?"

Without speaking he slid his own deck out of one of the many pockets covering his pants and dropped to the floor in front of the cage. Her eyes lit up as she sat and began shuffling her deck.

"What are we playing for?" she questioned him.

He glanced at the table covered in her things and then pointedly at her shirt and pants, "It doesn't look like you have much left to wager."

She blushed slightly. "Just a friendly wager," she suggested. "I win, you bring me some chocolate – you win, I'll buy you a drink when you let me out of here." She said confidently.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I don't think your boyfriend would approve." He said gruffly.

She blanched. "He's _not_ my boyfriend," she said emphatically.

"Oh, really?" He said casually, "And is he aware of that?"

She sighed deeply, "No…" she admitted, "I don't think he is."

He chuckled. "Fine, _when _you lose and _if_ I let you go and don't have to kill you or turn you over to Goto I'll let you buy me a drink."

"And if I win, you'll get me some chocolate?" She prodded him.

"Mmm," he mumbled in agreement.

They played several rounds, trading wins, each time raising the stakes just a little bit higher. Mira had worked her way past chocolate to some caffa and something other than rations for dinner, but she also now owed him a bottle of Corellian whiskey and a box of his favorite cigars. As they played she started telling him about Vashti and the mission they had been on last year to stop the rising Sith lords. She told him about Korriban, about Freedon Nadd's tomb on Dxun and the battle she, Visas & Bao fought there.

After babbling endlessly she remembered his little trick when he'd come in the room. Trying to sound conversational, she asked, "So, just how _do_ you mask your presence in the force?"

He considered her for a moment, "Is that what I was doing?" he drawled as he played a card.

She met his gaze, and tried to discern if he honestly didn't know what he'd done. She finally nodded a response, "Yeah, hard to believe you don't know you're doing it though."

He shrugged, "Oh, I know I'm doing it. I just didn't know what I was doing…"

She blinked, trying to follow his logic. "Ah," she said when she finally understood his meaning, "but how?"

He thought for a moment, scratching the slight stubble on his jaw absentmindedly. "How do you move your hand?" He questioned her finally.

"I just do," she replied quickly, the realization of what he was trying to say hitting her as the words left her mouth.

"Exactly," he confirmed.

"OK…. So it's not a device of some kind? Then how did you learn to do it?" she questioned him further, his evasive answers were really starting to irritate her.

He shrugged again, "I always have."

"Always?" she wanted clarification.

He nodded, "I became aware of it when I was learning to hunt as a child. I was always able to get closer to my targets than the other boys."

She grunted exasperatedly as she used the force to smack him on the shoulder, "do you have _any_ idea how strong you have to be in the force to do something like that… _without_ training?"

He rubbed his shoulder where her telepathic blow had landed, "You don't say?" he answered, mildly annoyed with her.

She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "The whole reason we are even on Nar Shaddaa is to find people like you, like I was. Whatever Goto's paying you, we can offer you much, much more."

"I have no desire to be a Jedi slave." He said shortly.

"You'd rather be Goto's kath hound?" she goaded him.

He glared at her, "I'm a bounty hunter, miss. I only work for myself. I'd think _you_ of all people would understand that."

She took a deep breath and slumped against the back of her cell. "Yeah, I get it or at least I did." Her voice dropped considerably then as she began to get contemplative, "but it's nice to be a part of something again, to be able to make a real difference."

"To belong?" He mused.

She met his gaze and recognized what she had once been, then nodded and said simply, "Yeah. I'm part of a clan again."

Drex gathered his deck and stood. He glanced at her warily before he made his way silently out the door. She sighed heavily as she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes.

* * *

Dustil paced around the _Hawk_ restlessly. Mira had been gone a day and a half and Vashti wasn't due to arrive for another day. He hated this. He'd tried to read, to meditate, to sleep. None of it had gotten his mind off of his worries. He couldn't help thinking about the day Selene didn't return from her last mission and he didn't know if he could survive something like that again. His old desires for vengeance were creeping back into his consciousness and he knew that if he ever got his hands on that Mandalorian, he'd make him pay for what he was doing to Mira. 

T3 warbled at him mournfully on Dustil's fifth circle around the ship in as many minutes. "You're right, T3," he said to the little droid, "I need to get off this ship before I go insane." The little droid chirped with distress. "I'll be careful, I'm just going to get a drink and play some pazaak. Stay here and watch the ship." T3 beeped a hesitant agreement as the young man attached his saber to his belt and headed down the loading ramp.

Ugh, how he hated this city. He had spent two years in the slums of the refugee sector trying to get enough money to get off the cesspit of a moon before going to Korriban to join the Sith. The streets were dark and there were beings everywhere. He hated the crowds. He hated the weird smell of the air. Every building was covered in a disgusting grime that made him cringe and long for the wide open spaces of Telos… or even the pristine gloominess of the Sith academy.

He made his way to the red sector and headed straight to the cantina. He hoped a drink would calm his frayed nerves, or at the very least help him pass the time better than pacing did. He sat at the bar, sipping his juma slowly when a blue twi'lek took a seat beside him. He glanced at her perfunctorily, and was startled at the familiarity of the bright smile that greeted him.

"Mission!" He gasped with surprise as he hugged her affectionately, "What are you doing here?" The last time he had seen her had been during the few months they had both been staying with his father and Revan before she had left for the unknown regions.

She shuffled her pazaak deck expertly with a grin, "Just trying to find a good game or two before I head back to Kashyyyk. What have you been up to?"

He made a face, "Right now I'm trying to kill some time before Vashti shows up to rescue Mira."

She raised an eyebrow at his casual use of names she didn't recognize, "Are those Jedi?" she finally asked. He nodded and began to tell her about the Exile and how she had spent the last year fighting Sith and gathering force sensitives together to go into the unknown regions.

"She's going to go find Revan?" The young woman asked excitedly.

He nodded again, and then looked her over. She wasn't the kid she'd been almost five years ago anymore, but she still had the same youthful exuberance. "You know, you should come back with me, us… after we get Mira free." He began, "Juhani is there, and Bastila too. Jolee shows up fairly regularly to drop off a few more force sensitives he's found but he never stays long… he starts complaining about how the cold hurts his joints." Dustil said with a grin. "Even Canderous comes fairly regularly to see Bastila and Shan."

Mission grinned, "Awesome. Count me in!" Her grin faded slightly as she asked, "How's your dad holding up?"

"He's doing better now that he knows something is being done to bring her back." He paused a moment then continued, "He really wants to go with Vashti when she goes to find her."

"You can't really blame him, can you?" she said as she leaned toward the young man. "Besides, it's not like he can't take care of himself, ya know?"

"Yeah, but Vashti was told that any non-force user wouldn't stand a chance against the true Sith." He said with a sigh. "But, Atton and Vashti have been teaching him how to protect himself from force attacks. He's getting pretty good at it too. I can't put him into stasis anymore." He said with a grin.

Mission's jaw dropped. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!" She practically screeched. "_Carth?_ Learning _Jedi _tricks?"

The young man chuckled, "Most people have the ability to resist force techniques. They just have very little chance to practice it."

"Wow, you think I could learn to do that?" She asked almost tentatively.

"I don't see why not," He said with a smile, "If my dad can do it, anyone can."

* * *

Mira awakened to the wine of repulsorlifts and the shuddering of the ship around her as it pulled away from the smuggler's moon. The voice of her captor echoed over the ship's com, "Change of plans, miss. Goto's yacht is under attack. Your friends are being kept there. We have to go and try to stop the siege, and if nothing else, get your friends and Goto's droid off the ship." She sighed in exasperation but her expression changed to a broad smile when the energy shield around her deactivated. "Grab your gear, miss, and come to the cockpit." 

She bounced exuberantly to the table and began fastening each piece of her ensemble into its familiar place. She felt much better a few minutes later as she made her way to meet the Mandalorian.

"You'd think Goto would have learned his lesson after his last yacht was blown to pieces." She said as she entered the cockpit.

"Mmm," he began, "He's only had this one in commission a few months. Vogga's wising up to his tricks though. Goto started intercepting all his ships again about a month ago. Apparently the last one Vogga sent up was full of mercenaries instead of cargo."

"Ah," she nodded as she plopped into the chair beside him. After a few minutes she asked, "So it doesn't make you nervous in the least that you've let me free and I'm wearing my sabers again…?"

"Mmm," he mumbled noncommittally.

She sighed exasperatedly, "Force, you're a pain in the ass."

He chuckled, "Goto's offering a considerable reward if we can stop Vogga's men with minimal damage to his ship. He said that he wasn't in the mood to replace it or his droid again so soon."

"I hate that droid." Mira whined.

"Mmm," he mumbled again.

"Ugh!" She vented as she slugged him on the shoulder, "how about using some real words! I don't know why I haven't killed you and taken the ship back to Nar Shaddaa already!"

"Anger leads to the dark side," he said dryly, "besides, you're going to need my help if your friends are going to survive."

"Hmph," she mumbled back at him.

"There it is," he said as they approached a ship that was easily twice the size of Goto's last yacht. Mira's eyes widened in admiration at the impressive vessel that was before them. "Your friends are on the lower level. If we can't stop Vogga's men the G0-T0 droid we need to get off the ship is near the prison area as well."

"Any ideas how we're going to do this?" she asked him as he docked their small ship at the much larger one.

"Goto sent me all the security codes and a map, so we should be able to get around pretty easily. If we break your friends out first, then we will have help taking down whoever's left after that." He began, "I'm planning on wearing my defel mimicker and using my tranquilizer darts on as many as possible."

She nodded, "You have enough to share? I've got my stealth field generator in my bag."

"I'm not sure I trust you that much," he commented casually, "but since I'm immune to them you can help yourself. They're by the workbench in the cargo hold."

Mira followed him to the cargo hold, where he began gathering his gear. She opened the container he had pointed out and began to fill her bag with the darts she found there. "These aren't the same as the one you used on me," she noted.

"They're the same, just not as strong. The dose I use on you Jedi would kill a normal man," he replied as he buckled his vibroblades to his mimicker.

"You _do_ know I'm _not_ going back into that cage after we're done here, right?"

"Mmm," he mumbled again with a smirk "Let's go," he said as he made his way towards the airlock activating his generator.


	3. Battle Ready

Thanks to everyone who has read and especially to those who have reviewed. I was really, really nervous about posting this story, so it really helps to get the positive feedback… Or even if it's not positive don't let it stop you from reviewing, 'cause I need the pointers!

**LuvsDelkoSpeed:** I'm so glad you're excited about the semi-sequel! I can guarantee, unfortunately (?) that I will _not_ be going to get Revan in this particular story. Sorry! But, the good (?) news is that this one only has at most two more chapters left to write and then I can move on to something else. However, it is more likely that it will be just another story set in the year and three months in my timeline between the end of the game and when they go to find Revan. I'm not sure I'm up to tackling a Revan story, yet. She's intimidating somehow…

**Trillian4210:** Thank you so much for your very detailed, encouraging review. It really made me feel a lot better about what I'd written… I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

**kaizokunami: **All credit for the Mira / Dustil pairing must go to SilverShadow667 as I shamelessly stole the idea from her fantastic story, Atton's Motivation. I am glad however that you liked my characterization of Mira, she's a fun one to tackle.

**SilverShadow667:** This chapter is dedicated to you. It wouldn't be here without your inspiration or my flagrant pilfering of your ideas… Sorry!

* * *

**Battle Ready**

The young human female stood in her cell, staring intently at the cell block door. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and she twirled one of the tresses absentmindedly listening to the sounds of blaster fire echoing distantly somewhere on the ship. Other than the voice of her twi'lek companion in the adjacent cell, the hum of the energy shield and the droid that brought them tasteless rations twice a day the blaster fire was the first sound she'd heard in what had to have been close to two weeks. She wasn't the most social of people, even at the best of times, but even still the only thing that had saved her from sheer madness was that she could still hear Jaf even if she couldn't see him. They were the only organic prisoners on the cell block, and as far as she could tell, they had been the only organics on the ship until the blaster fire started.

The door to the block opened and a fairly large spherical droid floated menacingly in their direction. It paused just outside their cells and a holo of a man was projected before them.

"My ship is under attack." The holo began speaking, "That loathsome hutt, Vogga, has sent mercenaries to steal it from me. It is most… unexpected." If the two could have exchanged confused glances they would have. "I will not allow them to take it. I have activated a self destruct sequence, which can only be stopped by me. If they are not repelled this entire ship will be destroyed, including yourselves."

The orange twi'lek, Jafort'or, spoke up hesitantly, "What do you want from us?"

"My proposition is simple. I will grant you permission to move about the ship, under the condition that you stop the infestation." He paused, "If you are successful, you will return here, to your cells, _alive_. If you are not, you will die, either by their hands, or mine. It is your choice."

"We'll need our weapons," Lorli said firmly.

"Of course," the holo sneered haughtily, "they can be found in the small room just outside this cell block." With that, the holo deactivated and the droid floated down the hallway locking itself into a cell as the energy fields on their cells deactivated.

They stepped out of their cells hesitantly and exchanged that look they had been saving up. Wordlessly they walked out of the cellblock and found the room that the strange droid had referenced.

They retrieved their equipment quickly, and helped themselves to the extra supplies they found there as well. When Lorli donned her robe again, she sighed with relief. While she had only been wearing Jedi robes for just over three months, the last two weeks without them had been torture. She picked up her lightsaber affectionately, igniting the green blade, and twirling it swiftly before clipping it to her belt.

As Jaf hooked his own saber to his belt and placed his large assault rifle in the holster he wore on his back, he grinned at his companion. She felt more for her lightsaber, her creation, than she did most people. He had become accustomed to her tendency towards isolation and her preference for mechanical company and in many ways thought it to be quite refreshing. He had been worried when he had first learned he was to be paired with a young human female that she would talk his ear off, incessantly, as seemed to be their custom. But he had soon found out Lorli was not a very customary girl.

"Ready?" he asked her. She nodded and they headed out into the hallway.

* * *

Mira crept along the debris filled corridor staying in the shadows as much as possible to reduce the telltale shimmer of the stealth field around her. The hallway was littered with droid parts and the occasional fresh corpse, evidence of the battle that had taken place. It wasn't hard to follow the Mandalorian, in spite of his stealth generator. She just had to follow the whistle of darts being fired and the distinctive thud of men hitting the floor as the drug took effect. So far they had been lucky, the first six of the men had been spread out enough to take them down without being detected, but that wouldn't last long. She paused at the entrance to a large meeting room where a group of men were gathered. She counted them quickly, eleven, it wasn't going to be easy. 

"Start with the ones at the back on the right," a deep whisper came out of the shimmer beside her. Carefully she aimed her rocket launcher at one of the men and the soft whistle of the dart being fired was echoed by the one beside her. Quickly she loaded another dart onto the launcher and before her first target hit the floor she had managed to dart another. She reloaded and fired again as fast as she could, knowing that they would be discovered _very_ soon. By the time the men in the room did figure out what was going on, there were only five of them left, but they were now coming straight for the two, with weapons drawn.

She heard the whine of the stealth field deactivating as she pulled her sabers off her belt and ignited them. The approaching men's eyes widened with fright as the dreaded snap-hiss was heard accompanied by the sudden silvery green glow of sabers which broke through the stealth field before anything else. They hesitated a moment and received a volley of blaster fire as the large Mandalorian appeared out of the nothingness. Mira leapt towards the closest man who was wielding a vibroblade. Swinging her right saber upward violently to knock his blade out of the way, she jabbed from the left side with her shorter blade, cutting through the man's stomach. He collapsed as she pulled her sabers away turning to her next attacker as he sliced into her arm with his blade. She gritted her teeth knocking his blade away from her body and began trading blows with him as another of the mercenaries began to fire his blaster at her. Instinctively her left saber moved to deflect each bolt sending it back to its origin as her right saber continued its attacks on the man before her.

The two men she was fighting collapsed simultaneously and she spun around to see Drex pull his vibroblade out of one of the crumpled bodies that lay in front of him. "You're bleeding," he said pointing to the cut in the middle of her upper right arm.

"You don't look so hot yourself," she said noticing several blaster burns scattered over his large frame. She called on the force then, using its energy to close their wounds and rebuild the burned flesh.

"That's a neat little trick," he remarked dryly as she broke her concentration.

"I'll teach you how to do it when we get together for that drink I owe you," she said with a smirk.

"Mmm," he mumbled to himself as he headed for the door on the far end of the room. She watched him walk away and suddenly remembered her last thought before passing out from his dart. She grinned as his very nice backside disappeared again into the shimmer of his stealth field.

* * *

Lorli paused at the end of the long hallway, glancing at Jaf nervously. Noticing her hesitation he stopped and turned back to her. She was practically shaking from her nerves. He smiled at her encouragingly knowing it was her first real fight, "Battle is just like training," he said reassuringly, "except your opponents here are much weaker and you _must_ win." She smiled anxiously back at him, glad to have his calm presence nearby. 

She nodded. "I'm all right, let's go," she said as she took a deep centering breath.

Jaf placed his hand over the control and the door hissed open, revealing a trio of rough looking mercenaries gathered around a computer console. The trio turned quickly to face them hesitating only momentarily when the stunning glow of sabers cut through the dim lighting.

Lorli froze a moment, unsure whom to attack. But the decision was made for her as one of the men ran at her swinging his vibroblade wildly. She blocked his blade away easily, and slashed at him tentatively with her own. He blocked her attack and sneered at her as he quickly brought his leg up, kicking her in the kidneys. The pain infuriated her. Her training kicked in full force and a short flurry of strokes later he was laying dead at her feet. She looked up and saw Jaf grinning at her, his tchun twitching amusedly. The other two men now just masses on the floor in front of him. She smiled back at him shyly.

"Your first kill in battle," he said reverently, "it is a good day."

She chuckled nervously as she made her way to the computer console to see what information she could find. She deftly pushed buttons, entering codes and inserting a computer spike expertly into the casing to bypass lockouts.

"The mercenaries' ship is docked at airlock two," she said as she pressed a few more buttons. "There is also another vessel docked at airlock three and a small craft in the shuttle bay." She paused again a moment her brow furrowing as her fingers moved quickly, "I've got the launch codes for the shuttle." She added with a grin. "It's up one level and down the port corridor."

The older twi'lek grinned again as he glanced at the map of the ship over her shoulder. She may be a novice in battle, but the girl was one hell of a slicer. He made his way towards the door silently indicating for her to follow.

* * *

Mira followed the Mandalorian down the long corridor as best as she could. It also was filled with the signs of quite a battle between droids and mercenaries, but it was otherwise deserted. Without the whistling of the darts and the thuds of men collapsing, he was quite a bit harder to follow. She tried to reach out and follow him through the force, but he was masking his presence again. She wondered if he was doing it purposefully, just to annoy her, or if it was one of those subconscious things he did when he was hunting. She did see broken parts skid across the floor every so often, and occasionally she could see the shimmer of light his generator created, but for the most part, she was flying blind, so to speak. 

She continued creeping forward slowly, towards a door at the far end of the corridor that should lead to the hallway with the turbolift. As she approached the door she quickened her pace slightly and ran straight into the large man, deactivating both of their stealth fields simultaneously.

He wore that same amused smirk as he looked down on her and wrapped his left arm around her waist instinctively. She tensed, her eyes darting to his face in shock from his sudden nerve wracking closeness. She began to try to step back, but he held her there for a moment as he brushed her cheek with his fingertips. "You know," he drawled with an amused chuckle, "if you wanted to be held, you _could _have just asked."

Suddenly, her anger built up enough to drown out any conflicting emotions she was experiencing and she kicked him violently in the shin as she pushed against his chest and out of his arms. He grunted in discomfort from the well placed kick and eyed her with mild annoyance as she shouted at him, "Damn, it! What the hell do you think you're doing, stopping in the middle of the fracking hallway? And furthermore how in the force am I supposed to follow your invisible ass?"

"Keep your voice down," he growled, "Are you _trying_ to give away our position?"

"I don't see why not!" She said through clenched teeth, "Not like I'm any better off with you than I would be with them!"

"Perhaps you'd like it back in your cell, miss?" He jeered.

"At least when I was there, you kept your filthy hands off me!" She said angrily, as her voice raised again.

"Look what we have here, boys." An unfamiliar voice cut through their argument, "A lover's spat. How sweet."

Mira turned to see that two gamorreans, a twi'lek and a human had appeared in the doorway. _Sith Spit. _Without a second of hesitation her sabers were off her belt and she ran towards the one who had spoken, slamming her blade against his with the full effect of her speed and weight. She used the force to push the other three away from her and then raised her hand and sent a storm of lightning raining down on all four of them at the same time.

A moment later, she stared almost sheepishly at the blackened corpses lying on the floor in front of her. She slowly turned towards Drex whose eyes were wide with surprise at her sudden display of power. "Remind me never to piss you off… again." He said with a playful grin.

She glared at him a moment, then raised her hand and put him into stasis. "I'm outta here. Have fun," she said as she turned abruptly and headed towards the turbolift.

* * *

Vashti lay in bed, staring restlessly into the darkness of the cabin. The warm body of the half dressed man next to her was comforting, but the regularity of his sleep laden breathing was nerve wracking at the same time. She was having one of those nights where her thoughts were relentless, running through memories, scenarios and visions. 

She was worried about her friends. She knew it was unlikely that any of them were dead, yet. But it wasn't much comfort that they were in danger because of a task she had sent them on. They had joined her willingly, she tried to tell herself. She needed help if she was going to keep the Sith at bay, and if she didn't, they would be fighting whether they wanted to or not.

She wondered what Goto wanted so badly that he had kidnapped three of her friends to use as leverage. He couldn't have been happy about her negotiating the fuel contract with Vogga for Citadel Station, but she had a feeling he wanted more than that. He wanted to know what she was up to. If he could predict her actions, he could control the economic results. It was so damn mechanical.

She turned towards her companion, barely able to make his form out in the dimness of the room, but needing his presence to anchor her. He would wake up soon, if she didn't get her mind under control, she knew, but she wasn't sure she didn't want him to. He slept more these days than he used to. Of course, getting him to sleep in an actual bed had been much easier since she had started sharing hers with him. But even still, he didn't sleep enough. His nightmares still plagued him often and unless she was with him, he usually refused to sleep in a bed at all. Many times after being away for an extended period of time, either with classes or on a mission, she had found him when she returned home in the cockpit of the _Shadow Runner_ fast asleep in the pilot's chair.

They had purchased the ship shortly after they had taken over the Academy, realizing that they were going to need a small fleet to accomplish the task of rounding up new recruits. Fortunately, Atris had come through with Jedi bank accounts and access codes to purchase the majority of the vessels, but Atton had bought the _Shadow Runner_ with his share of the credits they had managed to accumulate during their travels. He had fallen in love with the small ship. It was similar in size and layout to the _Ebon Hawk_, but instead of a cargo hold and dorms it had five separate cabins, all decently sized and quite comfortable. She was a fast little fortress as well. He'd paid for all the upgrades to the hyperdrive, shields and guns she could take. Vashti had jokingly begun calling it "The Other Woman", as it was the other love of his life and the object of much of his attentions.

He still intrigued her. It had been almost seven months since they had locked themselves in the cargo hold of the _Hawk _on that fateful trip, but even still he was a true enigma to her while at the same time being completely transparent. She knew him so completely that she often forgot he was a separate person with his own emotions and desires. And therefore, he surprised her everyday with his own uniqueness. He was becoming a powerful Jedi, quickly improving both his skills and his command of the force, but he still played the fool. She didn't know if it was just out of habit or if he truly preferred people to underestimate him. It was his pazaak face and even she rarely saw him without it.

But now, while he was sleeping he was himself. Powerful, masculine, comforting, Atton.

"I don't know how you expect me to sleep with all that racket you're making over there," he mumbled half asleep. She grinned as she finally gave into her desire to run her fingers over his bare shoulder. "Babe, you've barely slept since we left Telos," he continued sleepily.

She smiled in the darkness, "I can't stop thinking," she said quietly.

He reached out and pulled her close to him, his warm breath tickling her ear. "I only know one way to shut up that brain of yours." He said as he kissed her neck gently and ran his hand over her stomach, inside her tunic.

She giggled, "You can't solve every problem with sex, you know."

"Right, which is why we should always take advantage of it when we can."

"Mmm, good point," she said breathily before turning and kissing him.

He radiated that wonderful soothing warmth that only came from being mostly asleep and made her want his skin against hers. As they kissed, she wrapped her arms around his waist and began sliding her hands downward into the back of his loose fitting sleep pants. He responded in kind by sliding his hands up her back, under her tunic.

Suddenly, an alarm began sounding as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. "Force!" Atton cursed breaking their kiss, "I should know better than to let a droid fly _my_ ship!" He quickly disentangled himself and stormed towards the cockpit, forgetting about her entirely. Vashti sighed heavily, as she threw a robe on over her tunic and pants and followed him. So much for shutting her brain up.

When she arrived in the cockpit, Atton was yelling at the little astromech droid that had been purchased along with the ship. It was dutifully chirping back to him, trying to explain what had happened. Atton wasn't listening though. He was just demanding that the droid disconnect itself… _now._ Vashti tapped him on the shoulder, "Ummm, Atton?" she said questioningly. He glanced at her and she pointed out the view screen to the very large ship that was sitting there.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" He yelled angrily as he finally noticed the vessel and the very recognizable gravity well generators on its profile, which had to be responsible for their drop from hyperspace.

"General," Bao's soft voice came from the cockpit door, "We're being com'd. I think you'd better talk to them."

Vashti nodded as she pushed her way past the zabrak into the security room. "This is Jedi Knight Meres," she said assertively as she flipped the com on, "Please explain why you have detained us."

"Charming as always, Exile," a familiar sneer came though the com.

"Goto," she said with contempt, "What a surprise, I didn't expect to hear from you for at least another twelve hours. I had no idea you had access to resources of this magnitude."

"You should know by now, never to underestimate me, Exile." The droid said haughtily. "Dock in bay three, I wish to speak with you… Alone."

Atton shot her a disapproving look from the doorway and she shrugged helplessly, _at least if you're already on board, it'll be easier to break me out… _she thought to him with an appeasing smile. "Docking at bay three," she said with resignation into the com before she switched it off.

"I've got a _bad_ feeling about this," he said unhappily as he headed towards the cockpit.


	4. Recruiting

**Recruiting**

He watched her as she stormed away, unable to move or even speak. He couldn't believe he'd let his guard down enough that she'd been able to put him into stasis. He'd fought his share of Jedi over the years and he knew better. They were great prey, always making the hunt interesting, but they made lousy prisoners, acting all pious and droning on about the Force. He usually couldn't wait to drop them off with whoever was paying for them this week. She had been different though.

She was undeniably Mandalorian, more so than any woman he'd ever met, including those of his own clan. She was apparently quite a powerful Jedi as well and certainly unlike any of his former prisoners. He wondered briefly if she was right about him being strong in the force, but that didn't matter right now. Until Goto told him otherwise, she was still his prisoner, force or no. When the paralysis wore off he immediately strode towards where she had disappeared from sight, while reactivating his mimicker.

Mira stormed down the corridor, flicking her stealth field on as soon as she was out of Drex's line of sight. The _nerve_ of that man. The _only _reason she had been cooperative with him at _all_ was because she trying to recruit him for Vashti somehow. But now, he could rot in a stasis coma for all she cared. Now she was going to focus on the reason she was on this little trip – finding Lorli & Jaf.

She reached out to the force to see if she could sense them and was almost overwhelmed by the very strong presence she felt there. _Now_ he wasn't masking himself? _Great._ She tried to ignore his insistent presence and suddenly it disappeared again, letting her search for her friends. They were here on the ship and not far away either. Thank goodness, the sooner she got off this ship and put that man behind her, the better.

She could still feel where his muscular arm had curled around her waist. She wouldn't have expected it to fluster her the way it did. It wasn't the first time a man had gotten fresh, by any stretch of the imagination. She was used to it. Force, it was _why_ she dressed this way. Keep them distracted and they don't notice the bothan stunner until it's too late. That smirk of his, though, and those intense eyes had really done a number on her.

She shook the image out of her mind and headed towards the turbolift picking her way carefully through the debris to make as little noise as possible, unsure if there were more of Vogga's men around. The lift hissed open and she gripped her sabers defensively, in spite of her stealth field. She breathed a sigh of relief when Lorli & Jaf stepped off the lift tentatively.

"Boy, are you two a sight for sore eyes," she said as she appeared before them, a warm smile on her face. The two started at the sound of her voice but quickly their expressions changed to warm recognition.

"Quickly," Jaf said without hesitation turning down a hallway and motioning for her to follow. "We need to get to the shuttle bay. Goto's going to blow the ship if the mercenaries aren't stopped."

"Great," she sighed, "I hate that droid."

Drex walked invisibly behind them, silently loading his dart gun with one of his special Jedi tranquilizers. He wasn't letting her go that easy.

* * *

"Dustil," an image of Vashti spoke from the _Hawk's_ com. "I wanted to let you know that we've been detained. Goto has pulled us out of hyperspace and we are docking with his ship to have our little chat. I will do my best to negotiate their freedom, but in the event that you don't hear from me in the next twelve hours, it's going to be up to you to mount the rescue mission for the others. Make sure you get help, but there may not be time to wait for reinforcements from Telos. Be careful and may the force be with you." The image flickered and died leaving Dustil and Mission staring silently at the empty air. 

"So what are you going to do?" Mission asked him quietly.

"We wait, and if we don't hear from them, we go after her… them."

Mission's tchin twitched slightly. "You really like her, don't you?" She said with an amused smirk. He shot her a look that clearly said he did. "Does she feel the same way?"

His brow furrowed, "I don't know. I thought she did, but when we got back to the Academy after our mission she started ignoring me. I thought this trip would help us work things out… but every chance she got she ditched me and went out on her own."

Mission frowned sympathetically, "That doesn't sound good."

He sighed. "I don't know. It's so different than it was with Selene. She really liked me, and it was obvious. Mira likes me, but sometimes I think she's bored."

Mission laughed, "Bored with _you_? No way! I remember when we were at that reception on Coruscant with Carth and Revan and all the girls were lining up to dance with the _younger_ Onasi!" He blushed grinning slightly. "Or that time we wound up in that cantina on Alderaan and all those cantina rats figured out who you were and were clamoring for your attention."

"So why doesn't she clamor for my attention?" he said pitifully.

"Dustil," she paused and waited for him to look up at her, "if she's not clamoring for your attention, you need to move on."

Dustil suddenly flushed, her blue eyes staring right through him, "um… Mission… I… uh…."

"Force! I didn't mean with me, you batha brain!" She exclaimed loudly as a relieved look came over his face. "I love ya like a brother, well, better than I love my brother, actually, but it _is_ like a brother. That's just… gross."

He chuckled as he reached out and hugged her gently, "Thanks, sis."

"Anytime, bro. And seriously, think about it. There was this one guy I met once. We got along great. Played a lot of pazaak, had a whole lot in common, you know? But when we tried to make it get romantic, it just got weird. Some people should just stay friends." He nodded as she added, "And I'm _not_ talking about you and me, right now."

He sighed, "Maybe you're right. It doesn't really matter now, though. Either way, I'm worried she won't make it back."

Mission hugged him. "If she's half the Jedi Revan was… she'll be ok. How about another game of pazaak?" She asked as she shuffled her deck. He nodded as he pulled his own deck out of his robe.

* * *

As Lorli expertly tapped keys on the security computer outside the small shuttle bay, Jaf leaned against the wall crossing his arms and lekku over his chest, looked at Mira and asked, "How did you get here, anyway?" 

She grumbled with disdain, "That damned Mandalorian."

He nodded in understanding. "Those darts have one hell of a kick, eh?" She nodded in agreement. "Dustil come with you this trip?" He asked with a knowing grin.

She blanched, nodding while she mumbled. "He's back on Nar Shaddaa still. Vashti's coming to talk to Goto, I think."

Dustil. She hadn't even thought about him in way too long. Jaf's little smirk really irritated her, too. Ever since Dustil had arrived on Telos they had been constantly shoved together by everyone. She hadn't minded really, except that they all just seemed to expect her to feel something for the handsome young man. Force, even she'd expected it. He was all the things she _should_ want in a man, wasn't he? Being with him just made _sense._ Too bad it didn't do anything else for her.

She wondered what he'd say when she told him everything that had happened over the last couple of days. If she told him, that is. His over protectiveness had been bad enough before she'd been abducted. He was going to be insufferable now. She momentarily felt guilty for not looking forward to seeing him again, but quickly shoved it aside. She was going to have to set things straight with him when she saw him again. This was just getting ridiculous.

She was distracted from her pondering by the sound of the door to the shuttle bay opening, revealing a small troop of assault droids which immediately began firing at them.

Within seconds, the three of them had their sabers off their belts and were hammering the droids with a combination of fast saber strokes and waves of telekinetic energy which managed to short out their circuits.

In less than a minute the five assault droids were nothing more than piles of scrap. Drex watched from the shadows impressed with their attack. He'd seen Jedi in action before, but these three were relatively new recruits. For them to already wield that kind of power was almost disturbing. No wonder Goto wanted to have leverage against them. If the rest of their group were like this, they would be a very powerful army, especially if they really did have the backing of Mandalore as well.

Once the three had dispatched the droids they hurried to the shuttle. Mira stopped for a moment on the loading ramp glancing over her shoulder wondering if she had really felt his presence flicker just then. If so, he had meant for her to feel it and that seemed odd to her.

She stopped Jaf as he passed her, "I'm going to go check something out." She said as a curious expression crossed her face. "If I'm not back by the time you guys are ready to take off. Leave without me." Jaf began to protest but she cut him off, "Don't argue. We don't have time. Get back to Nar Shaddaa and find Dustil. There's something I have to take care of." He begrudgingly entered the ship and began the pre-flight checks as she headed back out to the corridor.

She didn't know what Drex wanted, but the way he was flickering his presence on and off made her curious. He really did need to be trained, power like that was rare even among seasoned Jedi. They needed men like him. She turned into the hallway and paused.

"Miss me?" His deep voice chuckled next to her ear as his mimicker deactivated with the familiar whine.

She spun to face him. "Not as much as you missed me, apparently," She smirked. "What do you want? Make it quick, my ride is leaving."

"There's still the matter of clearing this ship." He said simply.

"You're asking me for help?" She smirked.

"Mmm," he mumbled noncommittally, "More like, offering you a piece of the action. If you think you're up for it."

She grinned, "How much are we talking here?"

"We clear the ship and it'll be worth 5000 credits, half of which would be yours," he said casually.

"I don't need credits, but I'll tell you what. You can keep it all if you'll promise to talk to Vashti about joining us when this is all over."

He scowled. "Just talk to her?"

She nodded, "Honestly, no matter how strong your natural talent is, Vashti would be the one to decide if you were ready for training."

"I told you once. I have no desire to be a Jedi slave." He insisted.

She placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "You think I'm a slave?" She demanded, her green eyes sparking combatively.

He chuckled. "No, you're the Jedi. I would be the slave," he said dryly.

She couldn't keep from raising her eyebrow at him as a grin spread across her face. "Regardless, talk to Vashti and see what she can offer you when we get out of here. Even if she doesn't think you're ready for training, she might be interested in hiring your services as a bounty hunter."

"Mmm," he mumbled, "fine, I'll talk to her."

"That's good," she said as they heard the whine of repulsorlift engines in the nearby shuttle bay. "Especially since my ride just left." She added with a smirk.

* * *

The four Jedi gathered in the central area of the _Shadow Runner._ Vashti glanced at the faces of each of her friends. She had known Juhani the least amount of time, but the sleek cathar had become invaluable to her both as a friend and as a fellow Jedi. Vashti admired her quiet passion and strict self discipline greatly, as well as her ability to instill the same tenacity into her students.

"I'm hoping this will be a simple conversation," Vashti began, "but, if something goes wrong it will be up to you three to break me out of there. I'll keep in contact with Atton over the bond and feed him as much information as possible. Hopefully, it won't be needed, but if it is, at least you won't be heading in completely blind."

"That's me, the human comlink," Atton said acerbically as Vashti shot him a playful glare.

"General," Bao's soft voice cut in. "You can count on us. We'll keep the ship ready for departure in case we need to make a quick exit."

She nodded. "Good. I guess this is it then."

"Be careful," Juhani's lilting voice said quietly, "and may the force be with you."

Atton escorted Vashti to the ship's exit ramp. _I don't like this,_ he said over their bond.

_I don't either. But what choice do we have?_ She responded.

_I could go. _He thought with a smirk. _You know how much Goto likes me._

_Riiiight, _She giggled, _I'll be back soon._

_We'll be there in a minute, if something goes wrong._

She nodded, stopping at the top of the ramp. _You know I'm counting on you._ She hugged him, drawing strength from his embrace. _I'll keep my thoughts open to you._

He took a deep breath and pulled himself away from her. He never liked it when she put herself in danger, but she could definitely take care of herself. And if something went wrong, he'd damn well storm in there and put a blaster to Goto's head himself.

* * *

Mira and Drex made their way quickly across the vessel towards the starboard lift, which led to the command deck of the ship. According to the cameras linked to the security terminal next to the shuttle bay, that was where the remaining mercenaries had gathered. There were about fifteen of them standing around in small groups. One of the groups seemed to be engrossed with breaking into what Mira assumed was the bridge command computer.

Within the confines of the lift, they were faced with one of those awkward moments, each noticing their proximity to the other. Without the distraction of movement or other targets his presence was becoming overwhelming. Involuntarily Mira shifted her eyes off her focused glare at the lift door to glance at his face. He was watching her with that amused smirk again.

"Stop it," she snapped. "You're making me nervous."

His smirk widened to a grin. "Forgive me, miss," his deep voice drawled slowly, "You're much more interesting to look at than the door."

She shot him a glare, "that's not saying much."

He chuckled quietly to himself as the door opened revealing a wide expanse of empty hallway with a closed door at the far end that supposedly led to the bridge. The two crept down the hallway quietly, as they turned their stealth fields back on.

Mira whispered, "Stay at the door when it opens, wait for them to come to us." She heard an agreeing mumble come from the empty air beside her.

She activated the control and the door hissed open normally, catching the attention of several of the men in the room. Four of them looked curiously at the door and then walked towards it, looking for what had triggered it. As soon as they had stepped out of the door, Mira activated the control again, closing the door behind them as she fired a dart at the nearest target by the time she reloaded the other three had already been taken down by Drex's darts. They drug the men away from the door and activated the control again, this time gaining the attention of all of the remaining mercenaries.

They each managed to get another dart off before the first of the men got to them and their stealth fields deactivated. There were nine of them. Mira's sabers ignited simultaneously as she used a wave of energy to push all but the closest of the men away from them. She swung her blades quickly and precisely, blocking each of her opponent's attacks as she used the force again and put the whole crew into stasis.

Drex raised an eyebrow at her as his opponent froze before him, his eyes still moving agitatedly. She shrugged as she switched back to her darts and began tranquilizing them one by one.

"Well, that was easy," she said with a smirk as the last of the opponents collapsed to the floor.

"Mmm," he agreed begrudgingly. "But the hard part is dragging them all to the cell block." She groaned as he made his way to the command console and entered in codes from his datapad.

"Excellent," an all too familiar sneering voice came across the com. "I am indebted to you, Mandalorian, and your little friend. It's a shame she has to go back into her cell so soon."

Mira grimaced. "No way, Goto," She snapped as she shifted her attention to Drex.

He smiled at her not quite reassuringly, stepping closer to her threateningly as he said, "there's no need for that, Goto. Mira will agree to behave herself, won't you, miss?"

Mira stepped back apprehensively as he took another step closer. She glanced down at his hands and notice he still held his dart gun. Looking closer she saw that the butt of the dart it held wasn't the same as the one they had been using on the mercenaries.

"You schutta!" she growled at him as she raised her hand and attempted to put him into stasis. He just grinned at her and took another step closer. When she realized he was resisting her attack she spun towards the door and sprinted into the corridor, running as fast as she could towards the turbolift. She felt the dart humming through the air the split second before she felt the sharp jab in her rear end. This man was going to be the death of her.

* * *

Thanks again to all of my readers and reviewers. Believe me, I'd have quit a long time ago if you guys weren't so encouraging… So… if you're just trying to be nice, stop it and I'll shut up! ;-p

**SilverShadow:** I went back and put Atton into this chapter just for you. ;-)

**VanillaLatte:** I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I hope you enjoy my other one as well. Being fun to read is what I am striving for.

**LuvsDelkoSpeed: **Yeah, I think he likes her too… ;-p Thanks for not being too disappointed about them not going to get Revan yet.

**Trillian:** You flatter me! Your encouragement has been a huge boost to my writing as well as my ego. Thank you, so much! I hope once again that this chapter lived up to the others.

**The Lady Revan, gekkeiju, Shryke and Kuramas: **Thank you very much for your words of encouragement. I really appreciate that you've taken the time and energy to write your thoughts.


	5. Commitments

**Commitments**

Vashti walked down the ramp of the _Shadow Runner_. Two heavily armed HK-50 droids greeted her. "Greeting: Welcome Jedi Knight Meres." One of the droids said, "Imperative: Follow us to our Master."

_Damn droids, _Atton's voice echoed in her head making her have to suppress a smile.

They clanked towards the bay door and led her down an austere corridor. It was a small capital ship that would require a fairly large crew to run, but she could sense no organic life on board. That was a good sign, she thought. It meant that Goto was still overly reliant on droids, an easy weakness to exploit.

She focused on sending everything she was experiencing over her bond to Atton, who was reluctantly waiting with the others on the _Runner._ This bond of theirs was a tremendous tactical advantage at times, but using it meant convincing Atton to stay behind – often a very difficult task.

After several turns in the large labyrinth of hallways they arrived at a surprisingly plush lounge. Where a large floating sphere hovered waiting for her.

_I hate that droid. _Atton's thoughts echoed her own.

A holo of a man flickered to life and began addressing her. "Exile, I am very displeased." The image began, but Vashti interrupted him.

"Can we drop the charade now, G0-T0? I think it's quite obvious at this point that you're not an organic."

"Very well," it said with a sneer as it turned the holo off. "I demand that you interfere to terminate the fuel contract between Vogga and Citadel station."

"Surely you didn't kidnap three Jedi and pull us out of hyperspace just for that," she stated shortly.

"Of course not, Exile. It is merely the first thing I require of you."

"No, Goto." She said forcefully. "I have real work to do. I'm trying to stop war on a galactic level, _before_ it gets here and devours the Republic. I don't have time to be your errand girl."

"A pity," It said, "I believe my Mandalorian bounty hunter was becoming quite fond of your Mandalorian bounty hunter. It will be a shame that she won't be living long enough to know that."

"No, Goto," Vashti said again, "Let her go, let Lorli and Jaf go as well. I want the same thing you want, to stabilize the galaxy."

"And yet you leave a path of destruction behind you wherever you go," It argued.

"Hey! It's been over six months since I blew up a planet," she insisted with a smirk, "and I have no intention to blow up any more, at least not in Republic space."

"You fail to see the effects of your actions, and as such, you are dangerous."

She sighed, "Our goals are compatible. I am willing to take your counsel, but I will _not_ be your pawn." Her eyes became steely. "If you will not return my friends to me, I will destroy you."

"You would risk the lives of your friends to pursue a goal you cannot possibly hope to accomplish?"

"You're just a program, Goto. You're as mortal as any organic."

"But when I die, I will be reincarnated. Your friends will not."

A very calm calculating voice emitted from her. "No, when I'm done with you, there won't be anything to be reincarnated from. You'll be less than my dead friends because you won't even have rejoined the force."

"Impotent threats do not frighten me, Exile," it sneered.

She gritted her teeth and tried to change her tactic, "Do you understand the meaning of the word compromise, Goto? You need me to continue my work and I am willing to take your counsel on matters within the Republic. I am well aware that your understanding of the political and economic implications of every event is invaluable." She hoped this version of the droid was as susceptible to flattery as the last incarnation had been. "So what's your final offer?"

"Take this G0-T0 unit with you and your friends will be released. But, understand that as your group grows larger, you grow more vulnerable. I will not hesitate to use them against you, if you force me to."

She clenched her jaw. Something was definitely going to have to be done about this damned droid eventually, but today was not the day. "Fine, return my friends to me and I'll let you accompany me back to the Academy."

"Excellent," the droid said haughtily.

_See, that wasn't so bad._ She thought to Atton, _You and your silly bad feelings._

_What do you mean wasn't so bad?_ He practically yelled at her over their bond. _You agreed to bring that damned droid with us…on **my** ship!_

_Don't be a baby, it's just a droid. _She goaded him with amusement. _Besides, it's not forever. As soon as we get the others back we'll work on finding the real Goto and stopping this once and for all._

_I hate that droid._ Their thoughts echoed simultaneously.

* * *

She slowly became aware of an all too familiar pounding in her head. Ugh. She was going to kill that man… just as soon as she could move her arms again. She rolled onto her side and became aware that she was laying on something soft… a bed? That didn't make sense. She thought as hard as her still drugged mind would let her. Mandalorian… Goto… dart gun… failed stasis… running… dart in the ass… floor… yeah… that was the last thing she remembered. 

She clutched the pillow that was under her head, balling it up as she pulled her knees up towards her chest into a fetal position. One thing was for sure, this wasn't her pillow… or her usual bunk on the _Hawk_. It smelled like… machine oil and… soap and… man… that damned Mandalorian to be specific… odd… she didn't realize she knew what he smelled like.

She also didn't know whether to be incensed that he'd put her in his bed or thankful that it wasn't that damned force cage. Either way the brute was going to get a piece of her mind… just as soon as her head stopped pounding. She pulled the slightly rough blanket up over her head in an attempt to stop whatever was making her head throb so badly. Force… she should call on the force… just as soon as she could feel it again... Yeah, she was definitely going to need to get the recipe for those darts from Drex. Or at least steal some of the weaker ones and start trying to make herself immune… this was getting really old.

She flopped over to her other side and finally felt a tiny thread of connection to the force. She pulled on it, channeling its energy into clearing her body of the tranquilizer. Slowly the thread became thicker and soon the energy of the smuggler's moon hit her full force. The shock of the overwhelming life of the moon caused her eyes to fly open, seeing her surroundings for the first time.

The small room was almost dark. She could just make out the outline of another bunk across from her. It didn't appear to be used for sleeping, but rather as a workbench, piled high with parts, weapons and tools. She pushed herself into a sitting position and noticed her things were neatly stacked in the center of the bunk/workbench.

She was still wearing the same tunic and pants that she'd been wearing for the last three days… or was it four? Either way, they seriously needed cleaning and she was dying for a long hot shower.

She leaned forward placing her head in her hands as she gave in to the desire to close her eyes again. She reached out with the force to try to feel her captor, but she couldn't sense him. Not that that meant much. If he were hiding he could practically be in the bed next to her and she wouldn't know it. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Ok… she'd _probably_ notice have noticed that.

She called on the force again pushing the rest of the toxins and the weariness out of her system. Ah, the force was almost as good as caffa… almost. She stood and stretched slowly, replacing her headband, which had somehow slipped down around her neck, and retying her tunic. No point in looking completely disheveled.

"Sleep well, Miss?" His deep voice resonated from across the room where he was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and that intense smirk twisting the corners of his mouth upwards.

She placed her left hand on her hip and let her right hip drop as she glared at him. "Never slept better," she replied sarcastically, "I wish someone would shoot me with a tranquilizer dart every night."

He grinned. "That could be arranged."

"Hmph, I bet." She scowled trying to suppress a grin. "But if you _ever_ use one of those on me again," she said as she walked towards him aggressively. She glared at up at him and tapped him on the chest, "you _will_ be sorry." He looked down on her with that amused smirk of his and she was suddenly struck by the ridiculousness of her trying to physically intimidate this man who towered over her by more than 30 centimeters.

"Yes, miss," he said with a chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. As his hand curled around her bare abdomen a shiver ran up her spine. She thought to push away from him, but her body didn't cooperate. Instead she just stood there in his arms, gazing up into his eyes.

She finally forced herself to speak. "Thanks for putting me in here instead of that damned cage though." She said in a softer tone.

"Mmm," he smirked, "you're welcome in my bed anytime, miss."

She flushed. "How very… hospitable… of you…" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Only the best for my favorite hostage," He said dryly.

She chuckled. "Your bed is the best?"

"Mmm… something like that." He mumbled as he lowered his head and touched her lips with his. His kiss was surprisingly gentle at first, but as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and responded eagerly, it deepened.

When he finally lifted his head he smiled down at her wordlessly, stepping backwards out of her arms. He then held up a single finger just before leaving the room indicating that he'd be right back. As soon as he left the room she shook her head, trying to shake off the fog that had settled there as a result of his touch. He returned a moment later with two mugs, each with a large piece of hearty bread resting on top. "Caffa?" he asked her as he handed her one of the steaming mugs.

Her eyes lit up and she took it greedily snatching the roll off the top and gulping the warm reviving liquid. She plopped onto his bed folding her right leg under her and bringing her left leg up to her chest as he sat across from her. She munched on her breakfast for a moment and then drained her mug. "One thing's for sure," she said. "You make a mean cup of caffa."

"I use Mandalorian beans," he said as he sipped from his mug. "Most non-Mandalorians find it much too strong."

"Ah, guess my Mandalorian side is showing again, eh?" she said with a wry grin.

"It suits you," he said simply.

She shot him a look. "Most people wouldn't consider that a compliment, you know." She remarked dryly.

"That's because they're not Mandalorian."

She chuckled, "I told you, I'm not either."

"Mmm," he mumbled his disagreement with a smirk.

"Wow, that was convincing. Can't argue with logic like that!" She sassed.

He looked at her over the rim of his mug, his grey eyes darker than usual. For the first time, she let herself get lost in the storms that brewed there. Some minutes later he set his mug down. Never breaking his eye contact with her, he took her mug and set it beside his own. He took her hands in his and brought them together. Instinctively, she pressed her palms together as he placed his hands on each side of hers, his palms pressing against the backs of her hands, covering her small hands completely with his large ones. Their eyes still locked he began speaking almost hypnotically in his native tongue. She had forgotten most of her Mandalorian over the years, but she didn't need to understand him to know what he was saying. She remembered the meaning quite well.

_With these hands, I will fight for you.  
__With this body, I will stand beside you.  
__With this life, I will live for you._

She gasped in shock at the familiarity of the long forgotten vow and before she realized it she was speaking the traditional reply in a language she hadn't known she remembered.

_With these hands, I will heal you.  
__With this body, I will comfort you.  
__With this life, I will live for you._

When she finished he stood and pulled her to her feet again. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to him and kissed her. She lost herself in the kiss for a moment. Then, as the trance his eyes had cast upon her faded, the full meaning of what she had just done hit her. She pushed out of his grasp her face contorted in shock.

"Sith spit!" She exclaimed loudly, "Tell me I didn't just do what I think I did…"

He smirked. "I'm happy to say you did, miss."

"Oh, hell no!" she stammered. "You tricked me… or hypnotized me… or something!" She added accusingly.

"I was just trying to prove my point. I didn't expect you to accept my proposal," he chuckled, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

"You schutta!" She growled her hands balling into fists.

"Come, now, is that any way to talk to your fiancé?" He taunted her with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You are the most infuriating man I have ever met," she spoke in a low, barely controlled voice, "and if you think…that…"

Her words were cut off as he pulled her against him again, looking down into her eyes. He spoke as he ran his fingertips over her cheek, "Relax, miss, just because you accepted doesn't mean we have to go find the nearest cleric and tie the knot. You can take a few months to get used to the idea." He gloated.

Her expression changed suddenly and she snorted a laugh as she flattened her hands against his chest. "You're delusional," she sniggered.

"Mmm," he mumbled still smirking. "Perhaps, miss."

"Any idea how much longer you're going to keep me here? Vash is gonna die when I tell her about all this…"

"You're free to go whenever you want." He grinned down at her. "Goto gave the all clear about six hours ago."

Her jaw dropped. "Were you ever going to tell me this?"

He shrugged. "I did tell you, but I think you were asleep." His eyes sparked with amusement.

She stared at him a moment in disbelief then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. After a moment she broke the hug and hopping on one leg began pulling a boot on. He sat on the bed and watched her as she positioned each of her items in their familiar places. She slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to him.

"Come on," she said "you're coming with me. We made a deal. You're going to talk to Vashti."

He shook his head in disagreement. "No, go on. Your friends will want to talk to you alone for a while. I'll come later."

"Oh…" her expression dimmed considerably and she was suddenly more reluctant to leave than she should have been.

He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll come soon." He said reassuringly, a mischievous grin creeping into his eyes. "Though, you might want to tell that boyfriend of yours that you're engaged now. I'd hate to have to kill him for touching my woman."

She grinned. "Yep, delusional," she said as she shook her head, sighing dramatically as she exited the room. He walked her down the ramp of his ship and wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her gently.

"Goodbye, Miss." He said when his lips left hers. She reluctantly stepped out of his arms and headed into the streets of Nar Shaddaa.

Her steps were light and her eyes sparkled vibrantly as she made her way through the throngs of people. The corners of her mouth curled up into an irrepressible grin. As she climbed the ramp into the _Hawk_ she took a deep breath, trying to clear her expression, but failing miserably.

Suddenly Dustil was standing in front of her, and he threw his arms around her and hugged her fervently. "I was so worried." He said. She couldn't help but hug him back almost as fervently.

"We need to talk, babe." She said trying to suppress the levity in her voice.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I've been an ass."

She blinked, not expecting to hear that. "Huh?" She questioned him.

He chuckled. "I ran into an old friend. She reminded me that a good friendship is much better than a failed romance."

She hugged him again. "I'm sorry too," she said guiltily. "I didn't know what I wanted. And you're such a great friend… I just thought it would work."

He nodded, "Vashti should be landing soon. She'll be heading here to see you when she does."

She grinned, "Great, I have a ton to tell her… but before she gets here… I desperately need a shower."

* * *

The _Shadow Runner_ set down on a pad near the refugee sector. A lone figure awaited it. It didn't take long for the ramp to be lowered and the Jedi woman to descend. She was being drawn to his presence through the force. 

Vashti paused at the top of the ramp and considered the man a moment. He was unusually strong in the force and obviously the Mandalorian bounty hunter that she had heard so much about. Something about his demeanor made Goto's words run through her head, "_My Mandalorian bounty hunter is becoming quite fond of your Mandalorian bounty hunter_."

Out of curiosity she reached through the force and through her bond with her young friend. There was something distinctly different about Mira, now, she noticed. It was odd the way some things manifested themselves in the force, and it didn't take great wisdom to know that the catalyst of the change was now standing before her.

She greeted him warmly by name. To which, his eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly in surprise. She motioned for him to walk with her as she asked him why he had sought her out. He tried to explain about Mira making him promise to talk to her, in exchange for her help, but Vashti knew there was more to it than that. There was a familiar emptiness within him. It hung over him like it had all those who joined her.

She stopped on the street of Nar Shaddaa, the neon glow of the red sector shining down on them. The throngs of people continued to push past them, but Vashti held her ground. She asked him what he knew of the force. His answer was hesitant and incomplete.

"Close your eyes," she instructed him, "feel the city around you, the life, the force."

His eyes were closed and then suddenly he could see. The energy of the moon flooded in on him causing him to mentally stagger beneath its load. When he finally opened his eyes and saw the Jedi woman again he was in awe of her force aura.

She smiled at him, "I have shown you the force," she said plainly. "What you do with it is up to you."

He nodded simply and said, "I want to be a part of something again. I want to belong."

* * *

She pushed her way through the crowds towards the red sector cantina. He was waiting for her there. Her heart was pounding. He had agreed to join them. She stopped at the door taking a deep breath before she pushed her way in. 

He was sitting at the bar looking bored and her pace quickened in spite of the effort she made to restrain her feet. She perched on the stool next to him and purred, "Can I buy you a drink, soldier?"

His face lit up as he turned towards her. "Mmm," he mumbled an agreement as that infuriating smirk crossed his lips.

Her expression changed to one of mild annoyance. "Once again, you have seduced me with your eloquence," she said sarcastically as she ordered a Corellian brandy for each of them.

"Strange, I thought it was my skill with a tranquilizer dart that did it," he said with a playful gleam in his eye.

"Hmph," she grinned in spite of herself as she turned towards him. "I hear you're coming to Telos with us," she added in a softer tone.

He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Mmm, I thought I'd give this Jedi thing a try. Might be fun."

She chuckled, "I don't know about that… there's a war coming, you know." He raised an eyebrow at her and she caught his expression. "Oh yeah, right… Mandalorian… I guess that would be fun for you." He grinned down at her as he pulled her closer, bringing his forehead down towards hers. "You do know that Jedi aren't supposed to do things like this?" She said with a grin.

"We're not exactly typical Jedi," he said with a smirk before he touched his lips to hers.

* * *

A/N: OK, I don't know how you guys liked it, but I had **_way_** too much fun writing this story. Mira's always been one of my favorite characters, but as I was trying to think of in game characters to pair her up with, I was getting frustrated. None of them seemed man enough for her (well, _maybe_ Atton… but he was taken!). So, voila! Drex was born. 

Thanks to everyone who read this and those who reviewed. Without you guys this wouldn't have been written, and I wouldn't have had all the fun I've had over the last two weeks.

Thank you!


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